Rep. David B. McKinley, P.E.  (R-WV) issued the following statement regarding his vote against the government funding bill that passed the House today:

“Every weekend when I go home, I see people struggling because of the downturn in coal all around me. With the highest unemployment in the nation, mines closing, and communities struggling, the urgency of doing something to stop the incessant attacks on our energy industry is real and demands immediate action.

“That’s why we must take every opportunity to fight for these families. For the entire year we have been working to use the power of the purse to thwart the War on Coal. We fought to include provisions to stop regulations that will shut down underground coal mines and power plants in this ‘must pass’ spending bill but they were not included.

“More specifically, the bill did not adequately address our three top priorities on energy – defending the ability to recycle coal ash, protecting pensions and health care for retired miners, and stopping the Stream Buffer Rule, which has been called the most destructive regulation yet for coal mining. Unfortunately in the end the bill included nothing of substance to provide peace of mind and confidence to the families struggling because of Obama’s attacks on coal.

“Congress missed an opportunity today to take meaningful action to help West Virginia and other areas reliant on coal. While there may be good aspects of the bill – more money for fossil energy research at the National Energy Technology Lab (NETL), removing the ban on oil exports, and additional funding for medical research at the National Institute of Health -- there is not nearly enough to make a real difference in the immediate lives of thousands of coal miners, their families and their communities. I voted no to send a message that we can’t ignore this dire situation any longer.”